Report: Petraeus Clashed With Agency Chiefs Over CIA’s Portrayal in Libya in Final Days Before Resignation

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David Petraeus’ final days as CIA director were marred by strained relations with other U.S. agency chiefs over how the CIA should respond to mounting criticism regarding the Sept. 11 attacks in Benghazi, Libya, the Wall Street Journal reported.

The retired four-star general “wanted his aides to push back hard and release their own timeline” of the assault on the U.S. diplomatic compound and nearby CIA safe house, in order to “set the record straight and paint the CIA’s role in a more favorable light.”

National Intelligence Director James Clapper, the Pentagon and other agencies opposed the idea but Petraeus directed his aides to proceed, the Journal reported:

As questions mounted, a Fox News report Oct. 26 alleged that the CIA delayed sending a security force to protect U.S. Ambassador Christopher Stevens and others who were under attack. Mr. Stevens and three other Americans died.

The CIA denied the report, then began pulling together its own timeline of events.

The Pentagon, the State Department and other agencies objected to Mr. Petraeus’s decision to mount a solo defense. “We conveyed our objections. Multiple agencies did,” a senior military official said.

Mr. Petraeus’s decision to release the CIA’s timeline to the press didn’t sit well with Mr. Clapper, who was unaware it would be made public, officials said. Other agencies saw Mr. Petraeus’s decision as a step aimed at presenting the CIA and Mr. Petraeus in the best light and forcing them to accept the brunt of the criticism.